Phonograph record illuminating device



Oct. 14, 1947 F. P. KEIPER PHONOGRAPH RECORD ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed March 5, 1945 llll INVENTOR; 1 FRAN /S P /\[/P[/? fiulvm 60m W Y ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 14, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PHONO GRAPH RECORD ILLUMINATING DEVICE Francis P. Keiper, Evanston, 111. Application March 5, 1945, Serial No. 580,998

2 Claims.

This invention relates to disc record phonographs, and more particularly to cabinet phonographs, and means for assisting the placement of disc records upon the record rotating turntable.

In phonographs of the type described, there is usually provided a rotatable record supporting turntable, having an upstanding centering pin, which in phonographs of the automatic record changing type, may extend some distance above the turntable in order to receive simultaneously a plurality of records having centering holes thereupon. With the reduction in weight of the needle carrying pickup in such combinations, there has been a tendency to reduce the diameter of the turntable because less record support area is required, and the turntable is often smaller in diameter than the records placed thereupon. In such phonographs the relatively smal1 hole in each record must be manually aligned with the tip of the pin, while the pin tip and the turntable is completely hidden by the record being applied The difliculty of aligning the record is increased where the turntable is only partially exposed as in drawer-type cabinet, and especially where the turntable is of small diameter than the record, or the pin tip quite high above the turntable.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide means for assisting the proper location of a record for ready application and threading on the turntable pin of a disc record playing phonograph.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide means in association with a phonograph constituting a light beam for assisting in aligning a record pin aperture with the turntable pin normally hidden by the record.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is expressly understood, however, that the drawing is employed for purposes of illustration only and is not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim.

In the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar part throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a transverse section of an end elevation of a phonograph provided with the light beam of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic showing of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 4 is a circuit diagram for use in con- 'trated in the form of an end view with the end cut away to disclose the invention. The cabinet comprises a back wall I2, top H, and front upper panel l6. Beneath the panel is a phonograph record playing compartment [8, having a hinged front door 20. Immediately below is a hinged speaker panel 22, hinged at the bottom sill 24 to swing outwardly to the inclined position shown, from a normal vertical position. The cabinet is provided with a shelf 21 receiving a radio tuning assembly 29, connected to an amplifying unit 3|, and in turn connected to a speaker 33, mounted on the panel 22.

A disc record playing turntable 26, adapted to be driven by a motor 28, is supported on a movable shelf 30, hinged to the upper end of the speaker panel 22 asat 32, and to provide rectilinear movement of the shelf, one or more links such as 34 are pivoted to the rear of the shelf as at 36, and to a tranverse brace 38, formed as a part of the cabinet, as at 39. A fixed forward stop 40 is provided to limit forward movement of the shelf to the position shown, at which position the turntable is more accessible for the purpose of placing disc records thereon or removing record discs therefrom.

The turntable 26 is adapted to receive records 42, shown threaded upon the centering pin 50. A record playing pickup 46 supported on the shelf 30 is diagrammatically shown engaging the topmost record. In order to facilitate the positioning of a record upon the pin, there is Provided means 48, for projecting a light beam downwardly toward the pin tip 50. Referring to Figure 2, it will be observed that the forward wall of the radio tuning assembly 29, is provided with a lamp-receiving bracket 52 in which is threaded a light bulb 54, there being also provided a contact bracket 56, also carried by the assembly 29, but insulated therefrom as at 58.

To assist the placement of a record in proper alignment with the end 50 of the centering pin, a plate 60, having a suitable aperture 62, aligned between the bulb 54, and the pin tip 50, is provided. The diameter of the hole and the light bulb are so arranged that a sharp beam of light 64, is directed downwardly directly toward the pin tip. If the beam 62 be intercepted by a record such as 42, a clear bright spot 68 will appear upon the record which can be instantaneously aligned with the record aperture 59, to the end that the record may be positioned upon the centering pin promptly by lowering the aperture along the beam, all without delay and regardless of lighting conditions apart from the phonograph.

While a sharp beam for centering has been shOwn in Fig. 2, the beam might be of X configuration (see Fig. 3), permitting more light to escape toward the turntable so that the light may illuminate the record label it. In such a case the aperture 62 is modified as shown at 62. If desired, the beam may be rendered more di vergent by enlarging the circular aperture 62 or by shortening the distance between the bulb and aperture, so that a circular spot, about the size of the record label will be projected upon a record held at or just above the centering tip 5!]. Such a spot can readily be centered with respect 'to the label circle, and the center hole thereby aligned with the pin. If a concentrated beam is desired a lens may be inserted in the aperture 62, and the aperture made larger to accommodate such lens.

Since no illumination is ordinarily required except while loading the phonograph, a switch 74, may be provided in a circuit such as shown in Fig. 4 to close a circuit to the light source 48 when the record turntable is brought to a position such that the beam is aligned with the pin. In such a circuit, the light bulb is fed from a transformer 16, so that its circuit may be opened and closed without affecting any other circuit. Thus the panel 22 may be moved to a vertical position completely enclosing the record playing mechanism, while playing records with the loading light out out and maybe moved to the inclined position to load the record playing turntable, with the light indicating the proper limit of movement as well as the pin center hidden during the placement of records thereon. Where the turntable is smaller in diameter than the records being placed thereon, all indication of the 'pin center is hidden and the invention especially eflicacious.

While a spot beam has been illustrated which is adapted to align with the pin tip when the turntable is moved to its forward loading position, established by the stop fill, it will be apprec'iated that the hole '62 instead of being circular, may be a slit, extending from the rear to the front, or in the direction of movement of table 26, so that in drawing the table forward, the line of light emitted through the slit will illuminate the tip of the pin at any point along its travel outward. Loading of records upon the pin would be facilitated since the record may be moved with its aperture along the line of light produced on the disc 'and the pin tip'would be readily found by such linear movement.

The invention is applicable to turntables not 'displaceable for loading or to turntables mounted in drawers, whether sliding or swinging about a side vertical axis and, in the lattercase, the line of light may be made to appear as an are all points of which coincide with the pin tip in its arcuate travel. This may be effected by providing a suitable slit for projecting such a beam. The invention is also applicable to the loading of automatic record playing phonographs, where the records are merely loaded upon the upper end of the pin, and automatically dropped into record playing position in subsequent sequence.

Though a single embodiment and slight modifications of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes -may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, in a phonograph, a disc record supporting turntable, a, record centering pin projecting upwardly from the center of said turntable and terminating in a tip over which disc record's having a center-ing aperture may be threaded, a cabinet for housing said turntable and means for supporting said turntable for movement into and out 'of said cabinet to render said turntable accessible for loading records thereon, means for limiting the outward movement of said turntablemeans including a light source for directing a beam of light downwardly 'onto the tip of said pm, when the turntable is at the outward limit of 'its movement, and means for extinguishing said light source upon moving said turntable away from its outward limit of movement. 7

2. A disc record playing phonograph comprising a cabinet having a record playing compartment therein, a record receiving turntable supporting shelf in :said cabinet, means for movably supporting said shelf for limited withdrawal movement outward-of the cabinet for accessibility, a turntable and driving motor supported on said shelf, said turntable having an upstanding centering pin -for receivingcentrally apertured record discs over the tip thereof, a light source located in said cabinet and means for directing a beam of light from said light source downwardly toward said shelf and into the line of movement of said pin tip during said withdrawal movement, and meansactuated by movement of the shelf for energizing said light source when said beam 'directing means is in position to direct the beam upon said pin tip.

FRANCIS P. KEIPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

